


The Wind and the Stars

by Kurasayo



Series: take a look at the damage you've caused [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25782682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurasayo/pseuds/Kurasayo
Summary: A talk at the campfire leds to the Gaang learning something new about Zuko.
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: take a look at the damage you've caused [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870390
Comments: 25
Kudos: 655





	The Wind and the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> My first take on a fic in the Avatar verse and of course I had to start with the Gaang finding out how Zuko got his scar.  
> Hope you like it. ^^

It was a cool and starry night. Team Avatar had made themselves ‘comfortable’ in the middle of a fir forest, armed with some musty sleeping bags and a crackling campfire to warm their tired limbs. 

The morale of the group wasn’t necessarily the best at the moment, which was no surprise. After all, they had just been attacked by Azula, were probably still chased by the Fire Nation and had been forced to separate from their few allies, including Sokka’s and Katara’s father, whom they had just gotten back. 

Aang was seated on a nearby rock, legs crossed, his gaze thoughtfully directed onto the nearby bushes and trees. Sokka and Suki had grabbed one of the blankets, snuggling up against each other underneath it. Toph pushed around some small stones, obviously bored, and Katara was preparing a small, simple meal for them. 

Zuko was a bit overwhelmed by all of this. He still hadn’t gotten used to traveling together with the Avatar, instead of trying to capture him. He was sure, the rest of the group felt the same, even though everyone except for Katara had realized that he truly had changed. 

Traveling to the Sun Warriors and helping Sokka freeing Hakoda and Suki had definitely helped with that. And as for Toph, she had trusted him the most from the very beginning, even though he didn’t know why. 

Zuko released a puff of air into the night, before turning his gaze up to the sky, watching a lonely shooting star making its way across the firmament. Had it been the right decision, to spare his father's life on the day of Black Sun? Was it fair, to place the burden of killing the Fire Lord on a 12-year-old boy?

Part of Zuko had wanted to do it. He had wanted to kill this man, who had caused him and so many others nothing but pain. But he had known that it wasn’t his destiny. And besides...

Besides, he had been scared. The last time he had faced his father in battle, it had not ended well for him. Even knowing that Ozai couldn't burn him, Zuko’s legs had been frozen to the ground. 

Would that ever end? Would the fear of receiving punishment from his father ever go away? He hoped so. 

“Hey, Zuko? Are you listening?” Sokka’s voice was interrupting his thought process. The water tribe boy looked at him across the fire, frowning. 

Zuko slowly blinked, before shaking his head to erase those unpleasant thoughts. “I’m sorry… What were you guys talking about?”

Sokka rolled his eyes, causing Suki to lightly slap him on the shoulder. “About the war. And we were wondering if you’re really okay with, you know, fighting your father.”

A big lump suddenly made itself present in Zuko's throat, making it impossible for him to answer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't swallow it. Not knowing what else he should do, he looked down at his hands which had started to slightly tremble. 

“You know, it’s okay if you have second thoughts Zuko. He is your father after all and…”

“I have no problem fighting him!”, Zuko said, maybe a bit harsher than intended. Sparks flew up, like the fire was responding to his feelings. Quickly, he took a deep breath, continuing more calmly: “I don’t mind fighting the Fire Lord. He is a terrible man. His cruelty knows no limits.” He barely noticed his own fingers brushing against the edge of his scar. 

It was eerily silent for a while. Then Aang jumped up and stepped a little closer, a strange expression in his grey eyes. “Zuko,”, he began softly, “did your father ever… hurt you?”

Zuko flinched. Hard. Why ask him this question? Why would Aang want to know something like that? How did he even come up with it? And why in Agnis name was everybody staring at him with that look on their faces, as if they cared?

“Hey… It’s okay. You don’t have to answer.” A hand landed on his shoulder. Zuko was surprised when he realized it was Katara. Out of all of them it was her, who now smiled reassuringly at him, despite her not trusting him and missing no opportunity to point out his past mistakes. Her facial expression reminded him of his mother. She had looked at him exactly like that whenever he had been afraid. 

He shook her hand off, a bit hesitant, his eyes were fixed firmly on the flickering fire. Even after all those years, he sometimes couldn’t prevent the hair on the back of his neck from standing up at the sight of open flames. “No… You have every right to know what kind of monster you’re facing.”

At first he kept quit, realizing that he had never told the story before. People in the Fire Nation just knew or assumed it had been a training accident. 

Zuko took a moment to get his thought into order and also to stop his hands from shaking. “I was thirteen and desperate to attend one of the war meetings. My uncle let me in, but I had to promise not to speak.” He snorted. “Of course I didn’t comply… I spoke out against one of the General's plans. Father wasn’t happy…”

“What kind of plan was it?” Sokka looked at him curiously, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Sokka, just let him talk!”, Katara rebuked him. 

“It’s okay. The plan was to send a division inexperienced soldiers against Earth Kingdom troops. They weren’t supposed to win, just to distract the enemy. It was practically a death sentence and nobody cared.” That’s not true, he added in his mind, I cared. And I still do. I’m so sorry, that I wasn’t able to protect any of them...

He couldn’t bare to look into the shocked faces of his new friends. So instead, he continued: “As I said, father wasn’t happy about me speaking out of turn. It was disrespectful and so he ordered me to fight for my honor, in an Agni Kai.”

“What’s an Agni- Ouch! Katara!” “I told you to let him talk, Sokka!”

“It’s a fire duel. Usually, it ends with one of the contestants gets burned.” Zuko explained, ignoring the little scuffle between the siblings. He was trying to concentrate on the facts, so that he could remain calm and steady. 

“Oh... “ It was Aang who spoke up this time. “And you lost against the General?”, he cautiously asked, gazing at Zuko’s scar. Once he realized he quickly averted his eyes, as if he had just done something forbidden. 

Zuko shook his head. “I thought it was the General I was going to fight, that’s why I accepted. I thought I could defeat him easily… That was so stupid of me.” He took a calming breath, preparing for what was to come. “It wasn’t the General I was meant to fight. By speaking out against a plan in the Fire Lords war room, I disrespected the Fire Lord himself. I…” He faltered, just for a tiny second, but that was enough. 

“Wow, easy there Sparky. Your heart is currently running a mile the second.”, Toph exclaimed. Her words sounded carefree, nearly teasing, but she was obviously concerned. 

Zuko took a few minutes to calm down. Then he continued, his voice quieter and a bit shaky: “It was my father.” It felt like he was choking on those words, but he forced them out nonetheless. “I refused to fight back, so… He grabbed my hair and forced me to look at him and than, he, he pressed his hand against my face and set it on fire…”

It was quiet. Too quiet. At first, Zuko didn’t dare to look up, but eventually he did. 

Katara’s eyes had filled with tears, that started to ran down her cheeks like big pearls. Aang’s shoulders trembled and it was impossible to say if it was because of suppressed anger or sadness. Suki clung to Sokka, her grip so iron it must hurt, while her boyfriend pressed her against his chest in a protective manner. Toph had clenched her hands into fists, looking a lot like she was about to commit a murder. 

Finally, Aang broke the silence, his voice filled with sorrow: “I’m so sorry that this happened to you Zuko.” He almost choked on a sob that had gained the upper hand over his self-control. 

Zuko was about to reassure him that it was fine, he didn’t need any pity, when Sokka said: “I knew the Fire Lord is evil but… hurting his own son like that?! I’m gonna kill him!”

“Count me in!”, Toph said, and as if to underline her words, she slammed her fist into the palm of her other hand. 

Zuko couldn’t help but snort a little. His eyes glided other the small group whose hearts were bleeding for him. What had he done to deserve the presence of these wonderful people? 

At this moment, Zuko allowed himself to hope that maybe, one day, he could finally be happy. And that alone made him breath easier. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, too soft for anybody but the wind and the stars to hear. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I have some more ideas for Zuko-centric fics, so this is probably going to be a series. 
> 
> Also, plz leave a comment or a kudo if you liked this os. :)


End file.
